Hi everyone… I’m back with a quick trip report, but I’ve got something a little different for you all this time around! In mid-June I found out I had to go to Orlando for a work-related meeting, like, the following week! Of course, any good Disney fan called to Orlando for whatever reason, can’t exactly go without at least a quick trip to the parks, right?! While I was super excited about my last minute fortune, I knew Brett wouldn’t be able to take time off work and join me for the fun. What to do!? What to do?!
So I called my mom up… she’d been wanting to check out Disney for awhile and I thought this would be a great way to introduce her to my and Brett’s favorite place. She said yes, just as I knew she would, and I started the crazy last minute planning. I couldn’t get many extra days off from work, so it turns out we’d only have two days in the parks. A two day introduction to the parks is one thing… but in the middle of the summer heat, just days prior to the 4th of July weekend? YIKES! Definitely not the ideal way to introduce someone to Disney, but you gotta work with what you’ve got!
As most of you are already aware, we do a Christmas trip with Brett’s parents every year. But what you might not know is that we also vacation with my parents. Usually those vacays are in the form of a cruise, and the reports get posted on another board because they’re not Disney-related.
The most recent one was on the Emerald Princess this past May and if anyone is interested it can be found here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1202436. I have an excellent relationship with my parents and I’m so incredibly grateful for that. My mom is more than just a mom, she’s a best friend. And this summer has been a lot of fun for the two of us because (due to my work-related travel) she’s been able to join me on not only this trip to Disney, but a quick weekend cruise to the Bahamas, as well. Here we are in Nassau:
And because it's one of my favorites, I’m posting this next shot, too. It was taken after we’d been bushwacked in St. Thomas (more on that in the aforementioned cruise report):
Accommodations:
Initially, I booked Pop for two nights using the AP rate, which was shockingly still available. Brett was having none of it! He kept saying “Your mom’s first trip can’t be to a value resort. It just can’t.” He made a valid argument and won me over when he claimed that the values are all fine and well, but when you stay there it feels too much like a theme park with the hustle and bustle and over the top craziness. He wanted my mom to see that there’s more to Disney; he felt she needed to get a feel for the “resort” side of things... and to him, just visiting the deluxes wasn’t enough. I knew he was right. After all, he is the master... I mean, he did make me fall head over heels in love during my first two-day trip (and not just with Disney)! So who am I to argue?! And with that, I called and switched our reservation to Coronado Springs. But I kept it a secret from my mom... explaining the resort tiers, showing her pictures of Pop, and telling her we were staying on the bottom rung! Ahhh... I just love resort surprises!!
The schedule... or lack thereof:
Monday: DTD after my meeting
Tuesday: Resort check-in and DHS in the morning... followed by evening EMH at Epcot
Wednesday: Morning EMH at AK... wrapping up with the perfect evening at MK
Thursday: check out... breakfast at the Kona Cafe
Honestly, the schedule was so bare bones because I was unable to acquire any of the dining I wanted, except for a Kona breakfast on our last morning. Looks like I’d have to improvise as we went. Meanwhile, I had Brett back at home tirelessly checking the online reservation system all day long at work on Monday and Tuesday. With no luck! Aaaarrrgghhhh... you all know how serious I am about my dining, and I really don’t feel as if you can truly experience Disney without it.
I know my mom. That might sound like a dumb comment to make, but I think this is an extremely important aspect of planning a Disney trip for a newbie, especially when you’re not even going to scratch the surface of what Disney has to offer. You absolutely have to know your audience.
So with all that said, the big question is... will my mom fall in love with our beloved WDW?!
So I called my mom up… she’d been wanting to check out Disney for awhile and I thought this would be a great way to introduce her to my and Brett’s favorite place. She said yes, just as I knew she would, and I started the crazy last minute planning. I couldn’t get many extra days off from work, so it turns out we’d only have two days in the parks. A two day introduction to the parks is one thing… but in the middle of the summer heat, just days prior to the 4th of July weekend? YIKES! Definitely not the ideal way to introduce someone to Disney, but you gotta work with what you’ve got!
As most of you are already aware, we do a Christmas trip with Brett’s parents every year. But what you might not know is that we also vacation with my parents. Usually those vacays are in the form of a cruise, and the reports get posted on another board because they’re not Disney-related.
The most recent one was on the Emerald Princess this past May and if anyone is interested it can be found here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1202436. I have an excellent relationship with my parents and I’m so incredibly grateful for that. My mom is more than just a mom, she’s a best friend. And this summer has been a lot of fun for the two of us because (due to my work-related travel) she’s been able to join me on not only this trip to Disney, but a quick weekend cruise to the Bahamas, as well. Here we are in Nassau:
And because it's one of my favorites, I’m posting this next shot, too. It was taken after we’d been bushwacked in St. Thomas (more on that in the aforementioned cruise report):
Accommodations:
Initially, I booked Pop for two nights using the AP rate, which was shockingly still available. Brett was having none of it! He kept saying “Your mom’s first trip can’t be to a value resort. It just can’t.” He made a valid argument and won me over when he claimed that the values are all fine and well, but when you stay there it feels too much like a theme park with the hustle and bustle and over the top craziness. He wanted my mom to see that there’s more to Disney; he felt she needed to get a feel for the “resort” side of things... and to him, just visiting the deluxes wasn’t enough. I knew he was right. After all, he is the master... I mean, he did make me fall head over heels in love during my first two-day trip (and not just with Disney
)! So who am I to argue?! And with that, I called and switched our reservation to Coronado Springs. But I kept it a secret from my mom... explaining the resort tiers, showing her pictures of Pop, and telling her we were staying on the bottom rung! Ahhh... I just love resort surprises!!The schedule... or lack thereof:
Monday: DTD after my meeting
Tuesday: Resort check-in and DHS in the morning... followed by evening EMH at Epcot
Wednesday: Morning EMH at AK... wrapping up with the perfect evening at MK
Thursday: check out... breakfast at the Kona Cafe
Honestly, the schedule was so bare bones because I was unable to acquire any of the dining I wanted, except for a Kona breakfast on our last morning. Looks like I’d have to improvise as we went. Meanwhile, I had Brett back at home tirelessly checking the online reservation system all day long at work on Monday and Tuesday. With no luck! Aaaarrrgghhhh... you all know how serious I am about my dining, and I really don’t feel as if you can truly experience Disney without it.
I know my mom. That might sound like a dumb comment to make, but I think this is an extremely important aspect of planning a Disney trip for a newbie, especially when you’re not even going to scratch the surface of what Disney has to offer. You absolutely have to know your audience.
So with all that said, the big question is... will my mom fall in love with our beloved WDW?!
